I'm Here, Charlie Brown
by Nippon Tuck
Summary: With college behind him, Charlie Brown returns home and becomes reacquainted with an old friend.


It was only June, and forecasters were already calling that summer the hottest the Twin Cities had seen in ten years.

Charles Brown, better known as Charlie or Chuck to his friends, did not mind the heat. He had woken up early that morning, slipped on his shoes, and gone for a long walk. His wanderings had taken him up past the university and across the river, and it was nearly ten o'clock by the time he reached his intended destination.

He stood in front of the old house where his family had lived until he had turned sixteen. They had moved to a newer home in St. Paul when his dad had opened up a new barber shop. He hadn't been back since, had never really had the inclination to do so, until last night when he had been lying in his bed, thinking.

Truth be told, the old house didn't look too much different. The paint was peeling a bit more, and there was a new TV antenna, but it was mostly still the same. Whoever lived there now seemed about as interested in gardening as his mom had been. And yes, in the corner of the yard was an old red doghouse, though he could see no dog inside.

It was amazing, he thought, how little some things change when other things have changed so much.

As he stood there, he allowed himself to remember the many hours he had spent in that front yard, playing with friends, building snowmen, flying kites, playing catch with his dog, or just talking to whoever would listen.

For a moment he contemplated knocking on the door, meeting whoever lived there now, but then decided against it. It didn't really matter.

He turned and kept on walking. He was not exactly sure where he was going now. It was not until he arrived at the old baseball diamond that he knew. He glanced around. Clearly the diamond had been used plenty in the ten years since he had left. He kicked at the dirt near the home-base half-heartedly, glanced up at the sun, and then wandered over to the bench where he sat and thought.

Charlie liked to think. More than once he had been told that he spent too much time thinking, which he supposed was true. As he sat on the bench, he thought about past regrets, future plans, and present cares. Mostly he thought about Heather.

 _What was I supposed to do?_ That particular question had vexed him for the past few weeks, and he felt he was no closer to receiving an answer that he liked.

"I'm such a blockhead," he muttered. He glanced up, getting ready to leave, when he saw someone approaching on a bike. He frowned.

"Patty?" he said as he stood.

"Howdy, stranger," she said, coasting to a stop. She swung her leg over the seat and dismounted. As she stood there, Charlie was a bit taken aback.

"Your hair," he blurted, "It's…it's long."

She grinned. "Same old Chuck, charming as ever," she laughed, wheeling the bike over. "I didn't know you were in town."

"I haven't been here long," Chuck said, "I just got here a couple days ago."

She nodded and hit the kickstand on her bike before frowning at him, "I wish you would have let me know, Chuck."

"I'm sorry," he said. He really did feel bad. He hadn't seen Patty in close to four years, not since the summer after his freshman year at the University of Winnemac. "What are you doing here?"

"I volunteer at the food bank on Saturday mornings," she said, nodding in the direction she had come from. "I was just headed home to grab something to eat."

For a moment, neither said anything, until Patty spoke. "What are you doing now?"

"Not much," said Charlie, "I just came to see the old neighborhood."

"Is it everything you imagined?" said Patty with a smile. She sat on the bench and patted the spot beside her. After a moment's hesitation, he took the seat.

"I guess," he said, "It brings back memories, that's for sure."

"I'll bet," she said, "Do you remember all the times Jose and I crushed your guys' team back in elementary?"

"How could I ever forget?" said Charlie with a grin.

Patty was gazing across the field now, a dreamy look in her eyes. "Every summer we would thrash you guys, but you always came back next year. Gluttons for punishment." She looked over at Charlie. "That's what I always liked about you Chuck. You never stopped trying, no matter how hard it got, no matter how bad of a time you gave yourself."

He shrugged. "I was never very good back then."

She shook her head. "It didn't matter how good you were. What mattered was that you weren't a quitter. It meant a lot to me back then. It meant a lot to Jose, too. He probably never told you that, though."

"No, he didn't," said Charlie. "Pedersen said that about me?"

"Maybe not in those words," said Patty, "but yeah."

Charlie thought about that for a minute. Ever since he was little, he had loved baseball. He had been an avid fan, had dreamed of playing in the major leagues, and had spent a good portion of his youth on the diamond. Looking back he wasn't sure how his friends had been able to endure his dogged enthusiasm for the game. Ultimately, it had paid off. He had played for the high school team and had even joined a city league in Mohalis. It wasn't the major leagues, but for Charlie it had been good enough.

"So how long are you back in town for?" said Patty, interrupting his reverie.

"Till September at least," he said.

"That's a while," she said with a raised eyebrow.

"I don't have anywhere better to be. I'm finished with my degree, I have no outstanding job offers, and after Heather broke our engagement…well, I didn't have much reason to stay in Winnemac any longer." Try as he might, he could not keep an edge of bitterness from creeping into his voice.

Patty watched him silently for a moment before speaking. "I'm sorry, Chuck. I heard about that. It must be hard."

"That's an understatement," he said quietly. Patty said nothing, so he continued. "I had a crush on her all of elementary. Then I moved away. We went to two different schools. I didn't think I would ever see her again, and you know what? I was okay with that." He took a deep breath, surprised at how emotional he suddenly felt. He glanced over at Patty, who was looking at him with…what? Sympathy? He wasn't sure. He had not talked about these things with anyone besides his parents, and he suddenly felt ashamed of himself for showing weakness in front of her.

"Chuck," she said, taking his hand. Startled, he looked at her again. "Please talk," she said.

After a moment, he did. He told her about how he met Heather again by chance his Freshman year, about how they had started dating soon after, about how perfect those three years together had seemed, about the night he proposed, about how he had dropped a job offer in California because of wedding plans…

And then one night Heather brought everything to an end: the wedding, their relationship, everything. Less than a week later, Charlie found out she was already seeing somebody else.

"That's the worst part," he said, shaking his head, "I don't know why. She never told me." He felt tears on his face and wiped them away in frustration.

"You're not going to like this," said Patty, "but it is better you find out what she is really like now then after the two of you were married."

"You're right," he said after a moment, "but it doesn't make me feel any better."

"Not much will," she said softly.

"I just wish I knew why," he said, looking at the ground between his feet. "I think about it all of the time. I start thinking, Charlie Brown, she left you because you're a loser. I don't want to admit that, but you know what? I think it's true. I really am a loser, aren't I?"

Patty shook her head, "Chuck, as long as I've known you, you worry about the little things, you make life hard on yourself, and you beat yourself up all the time. But that doesn't make you a loser." She then stood and walked over to her bike. She looked over her shoulder. "Walk with me?"

"Yeah," he said, standing, suddenly feeling drained. Together the two of them began walking.

"Do you still live by the river?" he said.

"Yeah."

"And you bike every Saturday?"

"Every day, actually. I work at the clinic, remember? It keeps me in shape."

He glanced over, looking her up and down. "I can see that."

She gave him a suspicious look and then laughed, "Chuck, are you checking me out?"

Completely taken aback, he struggled to find an answer, and she laughed even harder.

"If you could only see your face…Don't ever change, Chuck," she said with a smile.

They walked for a while, chatting about this and that, finding out what old friends were up to, and reminiscing about days long past. As they talked, Charlie found himself relaxing and watching Patty more and more. Some things hadn't changed; she was still as tall as him, if not a bit taller, and as pretty as ever.

He watched how her long sandy-blonde hair shone in the sun, and how her warm brown eyes sparkled when she laughed. He also saw that her fashion choices had changed some too. She was wearing a white t-shirt emblazoned with some local band, and cutoff denim shorts which left most of her long legs exposed. They were very tan, and very distracting. He blinked and averted his gaze. The two of them had known each other for most of their lives, had played baseball together and gone to the same high school, but Charlie had forgotten how good looking she was. Or perhaps he had never really noticed.

He suddenly found himself wondering what it would be like to ask Patty out, to spend more time with her, not just as friends, but…he banished the thought, suddenly feeling embarrassed. What was he thinking? She would never see him that way. And this only six months after his engagement fell apart.

It was then Patty suddenly came to a stop. "Chuck," she said.

"What?" he said, stopping and looking around, "What's going on?"

"I've been thinking, and I need to tell you something."

"What?"

"Chuck," she said, "Do you have any idea how many girls wanted you to notice them back when we were in school?"

Charlie frowned, "Come on Patty, why are you bringing this up?"

"Well do you?" she said.

"No, I don't," he said, "I was a loser back then, Patty. Girls didn't notice me."

She rolled her eyes. "As if."

"Name one."

"Marcie."

"You've been telling me that since we graduated. I don't believe you," Charlie said stubbornly.

"You don't believe…? Oh gosh, you are so dumb!" she said, stomping her foot in frustration, "Do you know we actually called you Captain Oblivious back in high school? Honest to god, we did. I don't think Marcie could have been more obvious in trying to get your attention. And she wasn't the only one."

Charlie shook his head, "What is this about? Are you trying to make me feel bad about dating Heather?"

Patty shook her head, "No, that's not what this is about at all. What I'm trying to tell you is…I guess I'm trying to tell you that...that…" She stopped. "I don't know Chuck. I give up." She began walking again, now at a more brisk pace.

Now entirely confused, Charlie ran to catch up. "Patty? Patty? I don't understand."

"That's nothing new, Chuck."

"Patty, please tell me! Wait!" he said.

She stopped again to look at him, and then sighed. "What I want to say is…Chuck, you're not a loser. And even if Heather thought you were a loser, she was wrong. I know you Chuck, you have the biggest heart of any man I've ever met. You're kind, you are a hard worker, you always stand for what's right. And I love it. You don't need to go to the ends of the earth to find somebody who loves you, Chuck...we're right here in front of you. Do you understand?"

They stood for who knows how long, staring at one another, the wheels in Chuck's brain turning. Did he understand? What kind of question was that? The right one apparently, because it sparked something in his brain.

"Patty," he said slowly, "were…were you one of the girls?"

"One of the ones who wanted you to notice them?" she said, cocking her head to the side.

"Uh, yeah," he said hesitantly.

"God yes!" she said loudly, startling him, "Do you know how long I have wanted you to understand that?"

"Probably for too long," he said. She walked over to him, and looked him in the eyes.

"Chuck, I might regret this for the rest of my life, but I am going to kiss you now. Is that okay?"

"I…"

She did not wait for him to say anything else. At some point they must have put their arms around one another. At some point their lips must have come together. How it happened, Charlie didn't remember, but he did know that he was kissing Patty, one of his best friends, one of the most amazing women he had ever met, and it was wonderful.

After some time, she pulled back and looked at him. "How was that?" Her eyes were sparkling.

"That was great, Patty. I can't believe it," he said, feeling his heart hammering in his chest.

"You're telling me," she muttered. They were still holding each other; neither seemed in a hurry to change that.

"What now?" Charlie said, "What does this mean?"

Patty stared into his eyes for what could have been forever before answering, "You're here until September, right?"

"At least," Charlie said.

"That's three months to see where this goes, Chuck," she said, "Anything can happen in three months."

Charlie suddenly had a distinct feeling that he would not need three months to decide what he wanted. "You're right. Anything can happen," he said, feeling dazed. Patty's grin broadened.

"You should see your face," she said. In response he leaned in and kissed her.

"Chuck," she said dreamily after the kiss ended, "Never, ever change. Will you promise me that?"

"I promise, Patty. I promise."


End file.
